Container closing head with expanding wings



July 3, 1956 w. PECHY 2,752,744

CONTAINER CLOSING HEAD WITH EXPANDING wmcs Filed May 23. 1952 INVENTOR.

- W/LL//7M PfCf/Y nite States Patent 2,752,744 lz atented July 3, 1956 CONTAINER CLGSING HEAD WITH EXPANDING WVINGS iiilliam Pechy, Belmar, N. 5., assignor to American (Ian JCompany, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New ersey Application May 23, 1952, Serial No. 289,538

6 Claims. (Cl. 53-330) The present invention relates to can or container closing machines and has particular reference to a closing head for expanding friction plugs to secure the plugs in place in an opening in the containers.

An object of the invention is the provision in a container closing machine of a closing head which is simple in construction and which is adapted to enter a friction plug eated in an opening in a wall of a container and to expand the plug outwardly under the container wall to secure the plug against displacement during shipment and storage of the container.

Another object is the provision of such a closing head wherein the expanding of the friction plug is effected by a pair of hinged wings which are rotated in the friction plug while bein pressed into a flattened or horizontal position to spin the material of the side wall of the plug into a reformed condition.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of principal parts of a closing machine, showing a container to be closed and showing in section a closing head embodying the instant invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the lower end of the closing head, showing the expanding wings in retracted position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower end of the closing head, showing the expanding wings in expanded relation; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views similar to Fig. 1, showing the relation of the closing head and the container during different and successive stages of expanding the friction plug into position against inadvertent displacement within the container.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the invention the drawings illustrate a closing head for closing a filled fibre milk container A (Fig. 1) of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,085,979, issued July 6, 1937, to John M. Hothersall on Container. The container is equipped with a round filling and dispensing opening B (Fig. 4) which is adapted to be sealed with a closure element C hingedly connected to the container, preferably by a wire staple D (Fig. l). The closure element is provided with a sunken panel or cup shaped friction plug E having an imperforate bottom wall F and a surrounding upstanding side wall G which seats within the dispensing opening B when the closure element is in inserted container closing position as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

In the closing machine, the closing head is moved vertically downwardly relative to the container or as shown in the drawings the container is elevated relative to the closing head, to effect the friction plug expanding and securing operation. Where the container is lifted toward the head, a vertically movable lifter pad 11 is provided to support and thus elevate the container.

The closing head preferably, comprises a vertically disposed rotatable tubular member or sleeve 14 (Fig. 1) which is journaled in a bearing 15 formed on an arm 16 which may be a part of the frame of the closing machine. The sleeve 14 is rotated by a spur gear 17 which is keyed to the upper end of the sleeve and which may be driven in any suitable manner.

The lower end of the sleeve 14 is preferably closed and is formed with a transverse horizontal bearing portion or member 21 (Figs. 1 and 3) which carries a hinge pintle 22. The pintle 22 in turn carries a pair of oppositely disposed substantially rectangular shaped expanding wing members 23 which depend from the bottom of the sleeve 14 at oppositely disposed outward and downward inclination as best shown in Fig. 2. The upper or inner ends of the wings 23 are each formed with substantially cylindrical bearing lugs 25 which surround the pintle 22 and provide a pivotal mounting for the wings. Opposite the lugs 25, each of the wings 23 is formed with stop edges 26 which engage against similar stop edges on the opposite wing 23 and thus limit downward movement of the wings and define the normal inclination of the wings, holding the wings in inverted V-shaped fashion as shown in Fig. 2 so that they will readily fit within the confines of the cup shaped friction plug E as shown in Fig. 4. At their lower or outer edges the corners of the wings are cut off and rounded to form curved smooth expanding edges 27 (Fig. 3) for engagement with the inner side wall surface G of the hollow friction plug E.

The wing members 23 are maintained under yieldable spring pressure, by a pair of pressure pins 28 which engage against the wings intermediate their ends. Preferably one pressure pin is provided for each wing. These pressure pins extend up through clearance holes 29 in the bottom of the sleeve 14 and at their upper ends are secured in the lower end of a spring barrel 31 slidably disposed in a bore 32 in the sleeve 14. The spring barrel 31 contains a compression spring 33, the upper end of which engages against an adjusting pin 34 threadedly and adjustably secured in the sleeve bore 32. A screw slot 35 in the upper end of the adjusting pin 34 is provided for a tool such as a screwdriver for adjusting the position of pin 34 and thereby the degree of compression exerted thereon by the spring 33 so as to vary the spring pressure on the wings 23.

In operation, the wing members 23 of the rotatable closing head 14 are inserted into the friction plug E as best shown in Figure 4, for example, while the head is rotating and are thus pressed into engagement against the bottom Wall F of the plug. Continued movement of the head toward the container, or the container toward the head, with the wings 23 engaging against the bottom F of the plug, serves to spread the wings apart against the resistance of the spring barrel 31 and thereby forces the current smooth corner edges 27 of the thus expanded wings into engagement with the side wall G of the plug and thus expands the side wall G outwardly under the adjacent top wall of the container at the locality immediately surrounding the dispensing opening B, until the wings 23 are in a flattened or substantially horizontal position as shown in Fig. 5. A stop ring 37 formed on the bottom of the member or sleeve 14 limits the upward travel of the wings and stops them when they reach this horizontal position.

This action of the wings 23 is effected while the closing head sleeve 14 is rotated through an arc of approximately 7 degrees so that each of the four curved expanding edges 27 of the wings will fully expand its portion of 3 the plug, side wall G without undue abrasion of the fibre material of the plug.

Upon completion of this expanding operation on the friction: plug; F, the closing; head 14 is withdrawn from the container plug closure member. During this withdrawal action the spring barrel 31, under the force of the spring 33, maintains the pressure pins 28 engaged against the wings 23- and thus permits the wings to collapse to their original or normal inclination as viewed in Figs 2.. This is to the end that the wing members maybe readily removed from the friction. plug E without distorting the: expanded plug side wall G, with the result that the thus expanded plug portions ismaintainedtightly" secured Within the dispensing opcningB of the container.

It isztlrought that the invention and: many of its attendant advantages will; be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form; construction: and arrangement ofthe: parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of itsmaterial advantages', the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

1' claim:

l Means for expanding a cup shapedfriction plug closure element having a bottom wall and connected side wall; into engagement with a container wall surrounding a dispensing opening therein to secure the closure element within said opening, comprising a rotatable member, a pair of opposed wing members pivotally mounted on a common axis carried by and extending transverselyof said rotatable member at one end thereof, said wing members diverging outwardly from said rotatable member and extending in opposite directions therefrom, a pair of pressure pins yieldably carried by and projecting from said rotatable member on oppositesides of said pivotal axis into engagement with said wing members respectively for yieldably maintaining the same in said diverging relation, and means for rotating said rotatable member and wing members whereby said rotating Wing members when yieldably urged against the bottom wall of said friction plug element seated within said container opening: spread outwardly into substantially horizontally aligned position with their opposite outer ends engaging the' plug element side wall to expand said plug closure element into an increased diameter for securing the same within the container opening;

2. Means for expanding a cup shaped friction plug closure element having a bottom wall and an upstanding side wall into engagement with a container wall surrounding a dispensing opening therein to secure the closure element within said opening, comprising a vertically disposed rotatable sleeve m'ember substantially closed at its lower end, a pair of laterally extending. wing members pivotally mounted on a common axis extending transversely of said sleeve member at one end thereof, said wing members depending from said sleeve member and inclined outwardly and downwardly in opposite directions, a movable member slidably disposed axially within said sleeve member and having spring means engaging thereagainst for yieldably urging an end thereof into engagement with the adjacent lower end of said sleeve member, a pair of pressure pinscarried by said movable member and projecting from said sleeve member end on opposite sides of said? wing. member axis into engagement with said wing members respectively for normally holding. said wing members in their aforesaid downwardly and outwardly inclined relation, and means for rotating said sleeve and wing members in unison, whereby said rotating wing members expand outwardly into. substantially horizontal position when forced against the bottom wall of a friction plug closure elementrseated Within. said opening with. the opposite outer wing member ends en gaged against spaced portions of the plug, element side wall to thereby expand said plug closure element into an. increased. diameter for. securing the same within the container opening.

3. A machine for expanding a cup shaped friction plug closure element having a bottom wall and an upstanding connected side wall into engagement with a container Wall surrounding a dispensingopening therein to secure the closure element within said opening, comprising a vertically disposed rotatable. sleeve member having a substantially closed apertured lower end, a pair of substantially fiat wing members pivotally mounted on a common axis extending transversely of said sleeve at one end thereof, said wing members having rounded corners at their outer free ends and depending from said sleeve member to normally extend therefrom in outwardly and downwardly inclined opposite directions, a spring barrel slidably disposed axially within said sleeve member and having a compression spring therein for yieldably urging the lower end thereof into engagement with the adjacent lower end of said sleeve member, a pair of pressure pins rigidly carried by said barrel and projecting through the apertured lower end of said sleeve member on opposite sides of said transverse pivotal axis into engagement with said wing members respectively for normally holding the latter in the aforesaid downwardly and outwardly inclined relation to said sleeve member, movable means threadedly carried by said sleeve member and engaging said compression spring for varying the pressure exerted thereby on said wing members, and means for rotating said sleeve and wing members in unison, whereby the rounded outer corners of said rotating wing members are yieldably urged against. the bottom wall of said frictionplug element seated within the container opening and are thus expanded outwardly into substantially horizontal position bearing against the plug element side wall to thereby expand said plug closure element into an increased diameter for securing the same within the container opening.

4. A machine for expanding a friction plug having a horizontal bottom wall and a vertical side wall to secure the plug in an opening in a container, comprising a container support, a closing head, a pair. of wings pivotally suspended from said head in outwardly and downwardly diverging relation in collapsed position on said. head, means for relatively moving said supported container and head towards each other first to insert the outer ends of the collapsed depending wings into the container plug against the bottom wall. thereof, and thereafter to establish counterpressures. between the relatively moving container and head to expand said wing ends outwardly and directly against the vertical sidewall of said plug by pivotal. movement of the wings on said head, and means for relatively rotating said closing head and container support to expand said plug into sealing engagement within the container opening.

5. A- machine for expanding a friction plug having a horizontal bottom wall and a vertical side wall to secure the plug inan opening in a container, comprising a container support, a closinghead, a pair of diametrically opposed substantially flat rectangular wings having rounded corners at their outer ends pivotally suspended from said head in outwardly and downwardly diverging relation in collapsed position on said head, means for relatively moving said supported container and head towards each other, first to insert the ends of the collapsed depending wings into the container plug against the bot-- tom Wall thereof, andthereafter to establish counterpressures between the relatively moving container and head to expand said outer rounded corner ends of saidwings outwardly and directly against the vertical side wall of said plug, by pivotal swinging movement of the wings and. relative to said head, and means for rotating said closing, head during the outward. expansion of the Wing end corners to thereby expand said plug into sealing engagement within the container opening.

6. A machine for expanding a friction plug having a horizontal bottom wall and a vertical side wall to secure the plug in an opening in a container, comprising a container support, a closing head, a pair of diametrically opposed wings pivotally suspended from said head and having means on said head for yieldably engaging and urging said wings into outwardly and downwardly diverging relation in collapsed position on said head, each of said wings being of substantially rectangular configuration and having flat rounded corners at its outer end, means for moving said supported container towards said closing head first to insert the outer rounded corner ends of the collapsed depending wings into the container plug against the bottom wall thereof, and thereafter to establish counterpressures between the relatively moving container and head to expand said wing end corners outwardly and directly against the vertical side wall of said plug by pivotal swinging movement of the Wings on and relative to said head, and means for rotating said closing head for less than a complete revolution during the outward expansion of the rounded wing corner portions to solely utilize said rounded wing corners to expand said plug into sealing engagement within the container opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,209 Gruver Jan. 16, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,887 Great Britain Oct. 2, 1905 159,189 Germany Mar. 17, 1905 28,925 Austria June 25, 1907 

